The Power of Song - Here's to you, Reb Shlomo!

For the past couple of weeks I have had Chassidishe nigunim swirling around in my head.  It all started with reading tehillim (psalms), which I love to do.  I keep on meaning to memorize more of them, but haven't gotten around to it.  The ones I do know by heart, I love to be able to recite to myself when the moment calls for it.

At any rate, when I was reading psalms, I came across the phrase "Essa eynai el heharim"  "I lift up my eyes to the hills," and the melody I knew from college days jumped into my mouth and I started singing.  What a pathway to heaven!

Once I remembered "Essa eynai," I started to recall other songs:  "Pischu li sha'arei tzedek,"  "Am Yisroel Chai," "Romemu Hashem" . . .  Why couldn't some of these be incorporated into a Taize-style service? These are all songs by Shlomo Carlebach, a charismatic neo-Chassidic troubator who, starting in the late sixties, I believe, started touring college campuses with his music and his message of connection to G-d.  I met him when I was at Brandeis, and spent quite a bit of time with him.  His loving warmth was like a balm.  (There were reports later in his life that were very serious, but that was not my experience.)

At any rate, I am grateful to get those joyous nigunim back into my life.  There is a place for solemnity, but we shouldn't forget about just plain, flat-out joy,  and Reb Shlomo's music is one way to experience it.